


Alcohol

by pessimisticprose



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Character Study, Implied Relationships, Multi, headcannons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-12-13 02:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/818944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pessimisticprose/pseuds/pessimisticprose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All of the barricade boys have a different reaction to alcohol. This proves it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alcohol

**Author's Note:**

> So...Kind of a character study... Enjoy!

      Courfeyrac and Jehan aren’t as innocent together as everyone likes to assume. (Granted, they probably aren’t as bad as that opening sentence makes them seem.) Enjolras and Combeferre are always the strict friends of the group, and that sternness usually translates to the others in a more concerned way when they’re together, rather than when they’re apart. Grantaire, Feuilly, and Bahorel regularly participate in drinking games and fake fistfights that are always more brutal than intended. Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta are always cuddled together at some point; they rarely argue over anything (that includes how exasperating Joly could be about his hypochondriac tendencies). In all honesty, Marius is only there. He’s a spectator to their happenings. Marius does, however, contribute now and then. Usually this is only to rile Enjolras, but everyone has debatable intentions now and then.

    One thing about these comrades is that their personalities change almost instantly whenever alcohol is involved. Alcohol seems to either be their social glue or the bane of their existence, and there isn’t much of a middle ground. Really, it depends on the night. They all have their reactions to alcohol, but some of them are significantly worse (read: more funny) than the others.

    Courfeyrac is a happy drunk. He usually flirts with Jehan, who is always distracted by his giggles. He likes to plunk right down on the poet’s lap and try to improvise poetry in an attempt to impress him. When Jehan is sober, he compliments him sincerely, but truly finds his poetry awful. It’s the thought that counts. However, when Jehan is drunk, his rebuttal is always a masterful poem that causes Courfeyrac to sulk unhappily. Courfeyrac will then cross his arms and play the ‘angry toddler’, whilst Jehan giggles and kisses his neck affectionately. Courfeyrac doesn’t stay mad for long. Courfeyrac and Jehan are also known for their drunk texts, which make most of their friends blush when they read them.

    Contrary to popular belief, Combeferre does drink with his friends. (He tries to limit his drunken escapades to twice a month, but that doesn’t always work. Grantaire is a horrible influence after all.) Whenever he becomes drunk, he’s very whimsical. He is also very thorough. He will not only get tipsy; he will drink until he can’t string together a competent thought at the end of the night. During his attempt at getting wasted, Combeferre will spout off random physics facts, which is strange considering he’s majoring in psychology. One could sit and listen to Combeferre for a half of an hour and have answers to every question about the universe one could pose. Sometimes Bossuet and Marius will write down what he says and repeat it back to him the next morning, whilst an extremely hungover Combeferre would have no idea what they’re talking about. 

    Feuilly and Bahorel never get drunk without one another. (Feuilly claims it’s because of their close friendship, but the others can see their stolen glances and secretive touches. No one comments on their behavior though.) Feuilly and Bahorel are the partners in crime of the Musain. They regularly show up together and drink to their heart’s content. Feuilly drinks and drinks until he can barely stand, whilst Bahorel is a bit more cautious. He knows he’ll have to drag his friend home at two in the morning, which isn’t exactly a pleasant experience. Feuilly, being the smaller man of the two, can’t hold his alcohol as well as Bahorel. 

    Feuilly is exceptionally sweet when drunk, but Bahorel is a silent drunk. Feuilly will sit beside anyone, Cosette being his main preference, and flirt with them. He will speak fondly of Bahorel, the Musain, and his kitten Genovia. His flirting is usually very awkward and stumbled-over. Cosette is the only one who is willing to deal with him. Bahorel will sit and brood when he’s drunk. Usually he’s very loud and boisterous, but when he is drinking he does nothing but focus on the task at hand - forgetting the world. He drinks to forget. Bahorel is a rough man, but he hates being mute. So he hardly drinks at the Musain unless he is with Grantaire. (Feuilly would never force him to drink.) 

    When Joly is drunk, so are Bossuet and Musichetta. They’re those lovers who everyone is sick of, thanks to all of their public displays of affection. Joly is generally the leader of their little cluster. He and Bossuet are close friends, so they drink together. Musichetta, never wanting to disappoint her self-proclaimed ‘best boys’, will always rise to the challenge and drink with them. Usually, if they have a shot-taking contest, Musichetta wins easily. She holds her liquor well. Joly, on the other hand, does not. He is always convinced his is going to die in the morning, thanks to his hypochondriac trends, and that causes fears of drinking too much. Joly sometimes quells his nerves of alcohol poisoning and joins in on Bossuet and Musichetta’s games, but not always. He prefers to stay sober, so Musichetta and Bossuet usually do as well. 

    Marius is a sad drunk. He will wail over Cosette, although she is sitting right beside him, and curse his family name. He has even been known to scream ‘it’s the freckles, isn’t it!?’ directly to Cosette when he thought his appearance was unattractive. (She always responds gently and with patience, yet undertones of annoyance one can only picked up on when sober.) Marius will whine over the current state of the government, his family, and even Enjolras now and then. No one wants to deal with Marius when he is drunk, so they push the job off on either Cosette or Enjolras the majority of the time. Sometimes they even take turns. They call the night they deal with him ‘The Marius Misery Mixer.’ (Grantaire is never one to turn down a Marius Misery Mixer on Thursdays. That night is his self-proclaimed pity night.)  

    Enjolras and Grantaire are a bit more complicated when drunk. Usually, Enjolras will only get drunk when Grantaire is sober. (That little piece of information eliminates three hundred and thirty two days of the year.) He trusts himself to get drunk when Grantaire can care for him afterwards. When Enjolras is drunk though, he is much like Combeferre, except he spouts off things about the Prime Minister rather than the origins of the universe. He likes speaking about the National Assembly and all things that pertain to it. Grantaire, since he is sober when Enjolras is not, listens attentively and teases him mercilessly about it the next morning. 

    When Enjolras is not talking about the government, he becomes very sexual. He will touch Grantaire in any way possible, ranging from innocent to extremely explicit in about three seconds. The sad part thing is that Grantaire cannot even delight in mocking him the next day because Enjolras forgets absolutely everything he did the night previous. He asks for every little detail, and Grantaire always provides them, causing Enjolras to blush like the virgin he isn’t. 

    Every large group of friends has the resident drunk, and that position would fall to Grantaire. As previously stated, he is drunk the majority of the year. (If not drunk, he is consuming alcohol or tipsy.) When Grantaire is drunk, he acts much like his sober self, only more foolhardy. He is pulled out of several fights with unknown patrons every year, speaks without thinking, and will often make bets without thinking of the long-lasting repercussions. (This usually results in embarrassing pictures that Enjolras refused to delete off of his cell phone. Sometimes it is even in video format, much to Enjolras’ delight and Grantaire’s chagrin.) He will laugh and talk about things that don’t particularly concern anyone, since they are not currently present in their discussion, and everyone just tolerates his interruptions. Enjolras will snap at him sometimes, but Grantaire is never hurt. He is too drunk to care.

    Grantaire, sometimes, is a sad drunk. He will act much like Marius. (Some argue that’s why he puts up with ‘The Marius Misery Mixer.’) Grantaire will lament over his mother’s early death, Enjolras’ indifference to him (which is a figment of his drunken imagination), and even his drunkenness. When this happens, Courfeyrac is usually the one to step in. He takes him back to his and Jehan’s apartment and lets him watch some sappy romantic comedies on their television. Then he’ll return a very tired Grantaire to Enjolras at his proper apartment. 

    The tendencies of each young man and Musichetta are what holds their little circle together, if we’re being completely honest. Many of the romantic pairings were founded on alcohol. Grantaire and Enjolras, for example. Enjolras drunkenly kissed Grantaire, which led to their relationship. Another model of this could be Courfeyrac and Jehan, who sang karaoke to one another. Needless to say, that was a horrific night. 


End file.
